


His Place

by omgjasminesimone



Category: Open Heart (Visual Novels)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:14:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23071540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/omgjasminesimone/pseuds/omgjasminesimone
Summary: You can taste the dishonesty it's all over your breath
Relationships: Bryce Lahela/Main Character (Open Heart)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A Beyonce lyric prompt drabble, and then a quick follow up

“What are you hiding from me?” Casey asks softly, fingers dancing over the bare skin of his stomach as they lay in her bed.

“What do you mean?” He asks after several moments of silence, hoping he can steer this conversation somewhere else.

Casey leans up on her elbow, peering down at him as the thin sheet barely conceals her chest. “Why don’t we ever go back to your place? Not that I mind having you over here, but it’s kind of weird. We’ve been sleeping together a whole year and I don’t even know where you live.”

“I live in the Fenway area.” He answers vaguely. “And your place is nicer. And closer to the hospital.” He half answers. There’s definitely a much larger reason he hasn’t had her over.

“Hmmm.” Casey replies. She clearly sees right through him. He’s not sure why she’s waited so long to bring this up, but now that she has it’s clear she’s not going to let it go. “We could go to a Red Sox game and then head over to your place.”

“It’s off season.”

“Well, I haven’t seen the outside of the stadium yet. And I’ve heard there are nice restaurants in the area. And I want to see your place.” Casey replies, leaving him no wiggle room.

Bryce buries a hand into her dark curls, using the leverage to bring her lips to his. He kisses her hungrily, communicating the passion he feels for her without words. He breaks away suddenly, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I’m just really weird about having people over. Plus I like coming over here.”

He’s lying. He knows that she knows he’s lying.

She expels an irritated breath, getting up from the bed. “I’m gonna take a shower.” She announces before heading to the bathroom. She doesn’t invite him like she usually would.

Bryce runs a hand through his hair in frustration as he stares up at her ceiling. That was too close.

His phone chimes. A text.

 **Taina Lahela:** when are you coming home?

Bryce waits until he hears the shower running before he replies.

 **Bryce Lahela:** got held up at the hospital, I’ll be back in a few hours.

He deletes the texts before placing his phone on Casey’s nightstand and falling into a fitful sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Casey sees a text and jumps to the worst conclusion

Bryce wakes up at 5:30 AM on the dot, like he does every morning. Even on his days off, his internal clock is so fine tuned that he can’t sleep in. Casey has no such problem and she’s still sound asleep, using his chest as her pillow.

He caresses her cheek before leaning in for a quick kiss to her forehead. Then, Bryce carefully navigates his way out of her bed without waking her. He quietly closes the door to her room before making his way to the kitchen.

Jackie, Sienna, and Elijah are all at the kitchen table, dressed for work.

“Good morning!” Bryce greets jovially, grabbing the milk off the counter and making himself a bowl of cereal. “Where’s Aurora?” Bryce asks.

“Overnight shift. She should be home soon.” Sienna replies.

Bryce pours the last of the orange juice into a glass before taking a seat beside Elijah.

“You know Bryce, if you’re going to practically live here, you should probably start chipping in on rent. Or at least on the grocery bill.” Jackie deadpans, munching on some avocado toast.

“And, you could also not walk around in your boxers.” Sienna adds tentatively, a blush staining her cheeks.

Bryce smirks, leaning back. “Grocery bill, no problem, I’ll Venmo you Jacks. But putting on a shirt? Sorry, no can do Sienna.” He teases.

“How many sit ups do you do a day to maintain your abs?” Elijah asks curiously, pushing away his pop tarts since he suddenly has a new lease on life and fitness.

“100 in the morning, and then 200 at night.” Bryce answers.

“Man, I’ve got to get on your level.” Elijah comments.

“You should join me and the boys in the gym on Tuesdays! I know some seated ab exercises.” Bryce offers.

“You know what? That sounds great! See you guys Tuesday.” Elijah says with a smile, rolling away from the table to head to work. Sienna and Jackie follow after offering quick goodbyes to Bryce. After Bryce finishes his cereal, he loads the dishwasher before making his way back to Casey’s room.

She’s awake now, dressed and standing by her nightstand.

“Good morning beautiful.” Bryce greets, closing her door behind him. He quickly dodges to the left when Casey suddenly turns and throws a framed picture of them at him. It bounces off the door, scuffing it a little. “What the fuck Casey?!”

“Who is Taina Lahela?!” Casey yells, his phone held in her hand as she looks at him accusingly.

It takes a second for Bryce’s brain to catch up. He feels all his lies crumbling around him.

“That name not ringing any bells? She’s the woman texting you, ‘we’re out of milk’.” She throws his phone at him, but he catches it so it doesn’t break.

“Casey-“ Bryce starts before she interrupts.

“Are you fucking married Bryce?!”

“What?! No! How could you even think that?!” She has to know that he’s not that kind of guy.

“I’ve never been to your place! And now I find out you’re living with some woman who you’ve never told me about, what am I supposed to think?!” Casey screams, tears streaming down her face now.

Bryce tries to step closer to her, “Baby, it’s not like that.” Casey takes a step back.

“Who is she?” She questions again.

Bryce sighs, caged into a corner now to the point where he has to tell her the truth. “My mother.”

Casey scoffs, disbelieving. “Who saves their mother in their phone as their first and last name?”

Bryce shrugs. “Someone who doesn’t have a strong attachment to her. I was mostly raised by my grandparents. She was never a good mother, but biologically that’s what she is. I don’t call her mom. I call her Taina.” Bryce explains.

Casey quiets as she soaks this in. She’s obviously trying to decide if she believes him or not. “That doesn’t explain why you won’t have me over.” She finally says, looking at him suspiciously.

Bryce takes a seat on her bed, running his hand down his face as he prepares himself to share things about himself that he goes to such great lengths to keep hidden. “I didn’t want you to meet her.” He explains.

“Why?” Casey prompts, tentatively sitting beside him.

“Because she’s a drug addict who lives with me because the only way she could get out of jail on parole was to give them an address, and she was homeless. Not exactly the ideal roommate. Not the kind of person most people would want in their families. Not someone I’m proud to have come from.” Bryce elaborates.

“Bryce.” Casey tries to comfort, taking his hand and lacing their fingers. “You can tell me things. I’d never judge you.”

“See, you say that, but I’m sure you can’t help but judge. Like all the kids at school did. Oh, there’s Bryce Lahela. His mom is a drug addict, and sometimes a prostitute. She’s in jail for theft to feed her habit. Let’s all pity Bryce.” He recalls bitterly.

“She doesn’t reflect on you Bryce. Coming from that, you worked your way to Stanford Medical School. And to a top Surgical Residency Program, where you’re the best surgical resident. You did that all on your own. That’s something to be so proud of Bryce.” Casey replies, resting her head on his shoulder.

Bryce sighs, resting his head atop her’s. “I just….I guess I just wanted to portray my background to be happier. It was a rough childhood honestly, but I don’t want anyone to feel bad for me. I’m good now. I’ve got a lot of great things in my life, like you, to counteract the bad things like being caretaker for an addict.”

“That must be hard to balance.” Casey comments, squeezing his hand.

Bryce shrugs. “I have to do all the grocery shopping. I can’t give her money or she’ll buy drugs. She’s not very pleasant or grateful either. But if I didn’t take her in, my grandparents would have and they’re getting too old to have to deal with her.”

“….Does she know about me?” Casey asks tentatively.

“No. I generally just try to keep her separate from the good things in my life.”

“Well, I’d like to meet her.” Bryce looks at her with disbelief. “Bryce, I want you to feel comfortable telling me things. I want to know about your past. Because I see a future with you.”

“Still?” He asks hopefully.

Casey nods, taking her head off his shoulder and turning to kiss him softly. “I love you Bryce. And I’m really glad you’re not married.”

Bryce chuckles, cupping her cheeks and giving her a longer, more passionate kiss. “I love you too. Even when you throw stuff at me.”

Casey blushes, “Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. You have terrible aim.” Bryce laughs as Casey smacks him playfully with a pillow, falling over onto his back.

Casey lays down on top of him, running a hand through his hair as his hands run up and down her sides. She grips his left hand suddenly, inspecting it.

“What are you doing?” Bryce questions.

“Looking for ring finger tan lines. Good news, you’ve passed the inspection.” Casey teases, leaning in to kiss him again. Before they can get carried away, she pulls away, rolling off of him. “Let’s head to the grocery store for the milk before heading over to your place.” She invites herself over.

…

..

Bryce holds the grocery bag with one hand and Casey’s hand with the other, leading her from the Green line T stop to his apartment.

“It’s this building.” He announces when they’re standing in front of an older low-rise apartment complex.

“I like it.” Casey comments, hip bumping him as he hesitates at the entrance to the building. “Come on Bryce, you have nothing to worry about.” Casey comforts, tugging him inside.

He has to let go of her hand to insert the building key in the entry way, but he laces their fingers once more before leading her to the staircase and then up to the third floor. He lets out a long breath before opening the door to his apartment.

Taina is on the couch, watching Maury. “About time. I was starving.” She complains, not turning to look at them.

“Taina, this is Dr. Casey Valentine. My girlfriend.” Bryce looks at Casey tentatively. Even though they used the L word today for the first time, they didn’t actually define their relationship. But she smiles and squeezes his hand, confirming their new official relationship status. “She’ll be around from time to time.”

Taina turns her head to look at them. “That’s fine.” She concludes.

Bryce’s jaw clenches. “I wasn’t asking permission. This is my apartment. I’m just letting you know.” He counters.

Taina rolls her eyes, turning back to Maury. “Fine.” She says again.

“Nice to meet you Taina.” Casey greets before turning to Bryce. “Now, I want an apartment tour.”

Bryce leaves the groceries on the table before stepping behind Casey, wrapping her in his arms. “This is the kitchen-slash-living room.” He begins the tour, resting his head on top of her’s.

“I like the art.” Casey comments, gesturing to a seascape Bryce made at a Paint Night event when he first moved to Boston.

He guides her to the hallway, his arms not unwrapping from around her belly. “Guest bathroom there.” He shows her the small bathroom briefly before leading her to the master bedroom. “And this is where you’ll be spending most of your time here.” He explains, letting go of her so she can walk around the room.

“So Taina is sleeping on the couch?” Casey asks.

Bryce nods. “It’s a 1 bedroom, and I definitely wasn’t taking the couch. I’m the only one paying rent around here. Taina has been here for almost 10 months already. I’m hoping she’ll get on her feet and find her own place soon. She’s on a waitlist for some post prison housing program in Honolulu, so hopefully that will work out.”

Casey nods to show she’s listening, picking up a framed picture of the two of them apple picking from his dresser. “I bet you’re excited to have your space back.”

“You have no idea.” Bryce mutters, and Casey laughs. “I wouldn’t mind sharing my space with you though, if you’d want to move in.” He offers tentatively.

Casey smiles, walking back over to him and wrapping her arms around his neck. “My oh my, we’re taking so many relationship steps today.” She teases.

“Well, this one is just practical. We basically live together now anyway, but we’re paying rent on two separate places. That makes no sense, being as poor as we are.” Bryce replies.

“If this is about being economical, then you should just move in with me and my roommates when your lease is up. Splitting the rent 6 ways will be a great deal.”

“True, but the privacy of our own place, just you and me, might be worth some extra cash.” Bryce insists.

“Hmm…and what are you planning on doing with this privacy?” Casey whispers, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.

She laughs when he tosses her over his shoulder, carrying her over to his bed.

…

..

“Your bed is so soft.” Casey mumbles afterward, head resting on his chest.

He plays with the edge of one of her dark curls. “I got a great deal on it at Macy’s.”

“Hmm…this might clinch the deal on me moving in.”

Bryce kisses the top of her head. “Perfect.”

…

..


End file.
